Official Review: IMMORTALITY: The Science of Forbidden Fr...
Posted: 25 Apr 2019, 17:39
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "IMMORTALITY: The Science of Forbidden Fruit" by Michael A. Tewell.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Everyone dies. On some level, we all recognize that fact. As a result, we ask the question, “What happens when we die?” Religions around the world attempt to address that concern in various ways, typically with faith as the center. Michael A. Tewell tries a different tactic with his book IMMORTALITY: The Science Of Forbidden Fruit. Instead of approaching this question from a religious standpoint, he attempts to use science and his personal near-death experience to describe the process of death and what happens afterward.
Tewell spends the first half of his book using various scientific publications to express his theory, which he calls PhiAlpha. Using the laws of thermodynamics, quantum physics, and biophysics, Tewell proposes that the information we collect over our lives serves to form the basis of our personality. He classifies our personalities as a part of the information that must be preserved for the sake of continuing the process of evolution. Using these articles, Tewell proposes his theory that our personalities become encoded and transferred to a new host after death.
In the second half of Tewell’s book, he describes his own near-death experience and how that opened his eyes to his personal spirit guide. He also describes several other supernatural experiences in his life and uses them to bolster his theory of PhiAlpha.
I found Tewell’s book to be an interesting look at the processes of death from a scientific perspective. Tewell certainly managed to use scientific articles in an innovative way to explore a concept that has not been well studied. The fact that he also proposes some ideas for how to research and test his theory shows that he has put plenty of thought into his book.
Clearly, Tewell has done quite a bit of homework in looking for articles to support his ideas. Readers interested in Tewell’s book need a decent understanding of quantum physics and biology. Tewell’s writing becomes very technical at points, and readers with a limited or passing understanding of these concepts may find it very difficult to understand Tewell’s arguments. I would strongly recommend against this book, at least the first half, if a reader does not have some significant scientific knowledge in these areas. Even with my own scientific background, there were areas where some of Tewell’s ideas and supporting arguments became difficult to understand.
Part two of the book departs from the scientific realm and ventures into the realm of personal experience. Tewell describes his encounters with the spirit realm with a thoroughly enjoyable narrative. I felt that I was a part of the action, and I enjoyed reading about these experiences. On the other hand, Tewell seems to have a chip on his shoulder regarding religion, especially Christianity. These thoughts become more apparent in the second half of this book, and readers that might be offended by negative statements against their religion should avoid this book.
Tewell presents a well-edited book. There were only a few minor errors that I uncovered. Readers that want to explore death and the afterlife from a scientific perspective or readers that enjoy reading about encounters with the spiritual realm may really enjoy this book.
This is certainly a difficult topic that Tewell tackles with his book. There are areas where he is more successful in his argument than others. Still, the quality of his writing and the amount of research he uses to support his assertions earn him a fair amount of credit. I grant Tewell 3 out of 4 stars for his clear writing style about an interesting topic. Strengthening his arguments and connecting part two more thoroughly to part one would have gained him the final star. For readers interested in expanding their ideas, this may be an enjoyable excursion into a future area of scientific study.
******
IMMORTALITY: The Science of Forbidden Fruit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Kendra M Parker's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Everyone dies. On some level, we all recognize that fact. As a result, we ask the question, “What happens when we die?” Religions around the world attempt to address that concern in various ways, typically with faith as the center. Michael A. Tewell tries a different tactic with his book IMMORTALITY: The Science Of Forbidden Fruit. Instead of approaching this question from a religious standpoint, he attempts to use science and his personal near-death experience to describe the process of death and what happens afterward.
Tewell spends the first half of his book using various scientific publications to express his theory, which he calls PhiAlpha. Using the laws of thermodynamics, quantum physics, and biophysics, Tewell proposes that the information we collect over our lives serves to form the basis of our personality. He classifies our personalities as a part of the information that must be preserved for the sake of continuing the process of evolution. Using these articles, Tewell proposes his theory that our personalities become encoded and transferred to a new host after death.
In the second half of Tewell’s book, he describes his own near-death experience and how that opened his eyes to his personal spirit guide. He also describes several other supernatural experiences in his life and uses them to bolster his theory of PhiAlpha.
I found Tewell’s book to be an interesting look at the processes of death from a scientific perspective. Tewell certainly managed to use scientific articles in an innovative way to explore a concept that has not been well studied. The fact that he also proposes some ideas for how to research and test his theory shows that he has put plenty of thought into his book.
Clearly, Tewell has done quite a bit of homework in looking for articles to support his ideas. Readers interested in Tewell’s book need a decent understanding of quantum physics and biology. Tewell’s writing becomes very technical at points, and readers with a limited or passing understanding of these concepts may find it very difficult to understand Tewell’s arguments. I would strongly recommend against this book, at least the first half, if a reader does not have some significant scientific knowledge in these areas. Even with my own scientific background, there were areas where some of Tewell’s ideas and supporting arguments became difficult to understand.
Part two of the book departs from the scientific realm and ventures into the realm of personal experience. Tewell describes his encounters with the spirit realm with a thoroughly enjoyable narrative. I felt that I was a part of the action, and I enjoyed reading about these experiences. On the other hand, Tewell seems to have a chip on his shoulder regarding religion, especially Christianity. These thoughts become more apparent in the second half of this book, and readers that might be offended by negative statements against their religion should avoid this book.
Tewell presents a well-edited book. There were only a few minor errors that I uncovered. Readers that want to explore death and the afterlife from a scientific perspective or readers that enjoy reading about encounters with the spiritual realm may really enjoy this book.
This is certainly a difficult topic that Tewell tackles with his book. There are areas where he is more successful in his argument than others. Still, the quality of his writing and the amount of research he uses to support his assertions earn him a fair amount of credit. I grant Tewell 3 out of 4 stars for his clear writing style about an interesting topic. Strengthening his arguments and connecting part two more thoroughly to part one would have gained him the final star. For readers interested in expanding their ideas, this may be an enjoyable excursion into a future area of scientific study.
******
IMMORTALITY: The Science of Forbidden Fruit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Kendra M Parker's review? Post a comment saying so!